Book #297 (#21 this year): Money Shot(2008, Christa Faust)I read plenty of books written by women but I normally shy away from their crime novels. I think it's the Agatha Christie syndrome. I imagine they're all about people just tickled pink that Aunt Edna was found dead in the pantry. Why? So they can scour the garden looking for that bent matchstick that will reveal the murderer's true identity. And looking at the rows of mysteries in my local library with all those cutesy titles I don't think I'm too far wrong. The only exception I can think of would be Dorothy B Hughes. I've read a few of hers and they were terrific.So, looking over reading material for my Vegas vacation, I spotted a Hard Case edition written by a woman: Christa Faust. Worth a try.Well, I hate to complain but I think Christa has maybe gone a bit too far in the other direction here. Sure, there are dead bodies to be found but these are all bloody and beaten and nobody is bothering looking for bent matchsticks. They've got more important things to do: run up the body count.Christa's a good writer and the whole thing makes for an exciting read but where's the hero/heroine? No white or black here: just various shades of evil.